The $3 sausage promotion on July 3 was great, as long as you took advantage of it by the sixth inning. I went to buy an Italian sausage with marina and couldn't. Italians, Polishes and premium dogs for $3 were either sold out or the stands shut down. I walked completely around the lower bowl and couldn't buy one. At one stand they had a couple of sad-looking Italian sausages on a nearly-empty grill so I ordered one, but then was informed that stand was out of marina sauce.

The promotion should have stated "while supplies last" or "through six innings" or something like that. I was hungry and ticked off. Apparently it's too much to ask to be able to buy a basic item after the sixth inning. After I came up empty on my trip around the park I reluctantly settled on buying a deluxe burger...but was told the stand was closed. In fact, a lot of stands shut down by the seventh inning. I asked a worker if the stands always close in the seventh and was told "pretty much." At that point, I didn't want to give the Sox any more of my money, but, like I said, I was hungry so I found the deluxe sandwich stand near the right-field corner was open. You have to fill out a form to check everything you want on the sandwich. I finally returned to my seat and found that neither the mustard or mayo that I ordered was on the sandwich.

Promotions at the Cell are definitely low-caliber as far as I'm concerned. Really, they're STILL doing MULLET NIGHT??? Great, let's have a promotion to make our fan base look like a bunch of dumb-ass hicks!!!

The scoreboard tonight said that Phegley went to Indiana State when he is from IU. Also, the escalators down to Bacardi and the Park have been broken since Tuesday. Tonight, as I left during the eighth inning, a red shirt told me I have to exit down the ramps. I told him that I am going down the stairs and walked right by him.

The whole "stands being closed" thing has pissed me off for years. I've sent emails before and was told that was "uncacceptable", yet it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. Like I said in another thread, I find enough things at the park to still enjoy going, but there is no way they'll ever get new or return customers that aren't as crazy as I am if they keep operating the way they are. They do a piss-poor job of making fans feel like they're actually welcome at the park and not just being a bother.

The whole "stands being closed" thing has pissed me off for years. I've sent emails before and was told that was "uncacceptable", yet it seems to be getting worse as the years go on. Like I said in another thread, I find enough things at the park to still enjoy going, but there is no way they'll ever get new or return customers that aren't as crazy as I am if they keep operating the way they are. They do a piss-poor job of making fans feel like they're actually welcome at the park and not just being a bother.

I was at Busch Stadium this past weekend. $45,000+ fans and I never had to wait more than 3 minutes for any order - food or beverage. What a welcome change.

__________________
Ridiculousness across all sports:

(1) "You have no valid opinion because you never played the game."
(2) "Stats are irrelevant. This guy just doesn't know how to win."

I was at Busch Stadium this past weekend. $45,000+ fans and I never had to wait more than 3 minutes for any order - food or beverage. What a welcome change.

Isn't that a kicker? It takes 20 minutes to go get a burger during a day game at the Cell with 18000 people there because half of the field is funneled to one stand (the fan deck). What a joke. I'm glad I live close and usually eat something before I get there.

Isn't that a kicker? It takes 20 minutes to go get a burger during a day game at the Cell with 18000 people there because half of the field is funneled to one stand (the fan deck). What a joke. I'm glad I live close and usually eat something before I get there.

It was even worse on the dollar hot dog days. There is one worker at the stand behind 129 who is always real friendly and fast but even she seemed flustered that there were lots of people in line ordering lots of hot dogs on those days.

It was even worse on the dollar hot dog days. There is one worker at the stand behind 129 who is always real friendly and fast but even she seemed flustered that there were lots of people in line ordering lots of hot dogs on those days.

They have to realize even if the crowd is small, if there's a dollar this or dollar that promotion going on, they WILL be busy. IIRC, the 2nd of the "fan on the field nights" (I was lucky enough to be at both) they got caught with their pants down because it was a huge walkup crowd and of course the ballpark was understaffed based on their advance ticket sale projections.

I've been to 3 ballparks this year, and I've had better experiences at the two that my favorite team doesn't play at.

Seriously, the staffs at PNC and Miller Park are so friendly and accommodating it's a shock to the system.

I have yet to be to one worse than the Cell in this regard, which is part of the reason I am in no hurry to go see a horrible team. I mean, fun at the ol' ballpark is diminished when the only "fun" is on the field. The staff at Wrigley isn't great on the friendly vibe, but they are at least efficient overall.

I have yet to be to one worse than the Cell in this regard, which is part of the reason I am in no hurry to go see a horrible team. I mean, fun at the ol' ballpark is diminished when the only "fun" is on the field. The staff at Wrigley isn't great on the friendly vibe, but they are at least efficient overall.

Yep. I've been to 25+ parks and have seen the same thing over and over again - the customer service at the Cell is probably bottom 5 in MLB. Heck, even the worst parks in MLB - like the ****hole in Oakland for example - have better customer service.

It's always somebody else's fault. Problem with the venders? "Sportservice controls that". Well, you HIRED them they should answer to you.

Problem with the crossing guards almost getting you flattened? "The city forces us to hire them".

No stands open? "That's unacceptable", then fewer stands are open the next homestand.

The ushers don't know the answer to any question they get asked? "Oh they are students who had to go to school when we had training".

Now I haven't been to any other MLB ballparks, but I do attend other sporting events and the Cell is the only place that half-asses it during a professional game (and I've been to some dumps).

It is also the ticket booth attendants who are clueless. When I walked up to the Sunday June 30 game and asked for three $5 upper deck tickets, the attendant told me lower deck tickets are only $15 today. I said upper deck is ok as we can get down for the kids day autographs. She told me that I could not get down with upper deck tickets. I told her that unless they changed the policy today that we could. She said she was going to check with her supervisor and came back and said no lower deck access without a lower deck ticket. I told her to let her supervisor know that he doesn't know what he is talking about and proceeded into the park and the lower level for the kids day autographs. We then sat on the fan deck (yes, it was actually open to the public) for the game.

Isn't that a kicker? It takes 20 minutes to go get a burger during a day game at the Cell with 18000 people there because half of the field is funneled to one stand (the fan deck). What a joke. I'm glad I live close and usually eat something before I get there.

Over the years, I have come to expect that even if there is only a single person/family ahead of me in line at a USCF concession, i'll miss an entire 1/2 inning of play before I get my food.

The reason the lines are long is that the service is painfully slow. The stands are so inefficient it's maddening. Even a simple order of a brat and a beer seems to take forever for them to ring it up and give me my food.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerko

It's always somebody else's fault. Problem with the venders? "Sportservice controls that". Well, you HIRED them they should answer to you.

Problem with the crossing guards almost getting you flattened? "The city forces us to hire them".

No stands open? "That's unacceptable", then fewer stands are open the next homestand.

The ushers don't know the answer to any question they get asked? "Oh they are students who had to go to school when we had training".

Now I haven't been to any other MLB ballparks, but I do attend other sporting events and the Cell is the only place that half-asses it during a professional game (and I've been to some dumps).

That's pretty much how the entire organization is run. There's no accountability. The people who left this farm system and major league team in a shambles are never held accountable for years and years of failing to build up a strong core of young talent. They seem more interested in hiring former Sox players than to bring in people who will really get this franchise back on track.